The One Spot In Melbourne Where Taxis Allegedly REFUSE To Go

Newsroom

Posted on October 27, 2016

It was announced earlier this week that racegoers attending the Melbourne Cup Carnival will be able to use Uber to travel to and from Flemington for the first time in 2016. This change in policy has left a group of taxi drivers infuriated.

This morning taxi drivers contacted a local radio station to announce that a large group of cabbies will boycott Flemington next week.

One taxi driver, named John, declared that they were planning to boycott the carnival races for all four days.

Ride-sharing service Uber has received permission from the Victoria Racing Club to have dedicated drop-off and pick-up zones at Flemington Racecourse over the four days of the carnival.

"We want racegoers to get to and from Flemington safely and with ease," Flemington executive general manager Mark Davies said in a statement on Thursday.

"These dedicated Uber zones will provide them with an additional transport option this Melbourne Cup Carnival."

According to Uber Victoria's General Manager Matt Denman, “We will have rider lounges where guests can get water, charge their phone, visit the L’Oreal beauty station and get a Lavazza coffee.”

While some Taxi Drivers may be planning to boycott Flemington, The Herald Sun have reported that ‘while the Victorian Taxi Association and the Victorian Hire Car Association are not happy with the Uber deal, they are not planning on causing disruption to services.‘

According to Horse Racing Info more than 100,000 people descend on Flemington racecourse every year creating a carnival like atmosphere to mark the occasion. There are 14,000 registered Uber drivers in Victoria.

Here's hoping punters will be able to get home from Flemington with ease.